Will
Allen (center) posed for a photo with Haitians Herode Laurent
(left) and Daniel Tillas during their recent visit to Growing
Power.

Will Allen,
founder and CEO of Growing Power, is on a mission to change the world’s
food systems — one country at a time. "Over the 22 years we’ve
been in business, we’ve moved along the continuum to be able to work
with people throughout the world," says Allen. Growing Power’s
success has taken Allen and his team to all corners of the world, from
Kenya to Ukraine, and this April, they’ll embark on a new adventure,
traveling to Haiti to assist a developing urban agriculture program in
Port-au-Prince.

The
trip is part of Growing Power’s Haiti initiative — a partnership
born out of Allen’s relationship with the former U.S. ambassador to
Haiti, Michael Macy. In the wake of the country’s tragic earthquake,
Macy wanted to implement a program that empowered Haitians to grow and
produce their own food using new systems and compost soil, so he
called Allen. Allen agreed to help, and two Haitians flew to Milwaukee
earlier this year to tour Growing Power’s local facility, where
Allen demonstrated how to build and operate his highly efficient
aquaponics system. He will travel to Haiti later this month to ensure
the trainees’ new system is functioning properly.

The system,
which costs very little to construct, is "simply a replication of
a clean stream river," says Allen, employing a recirculating
method to raise lake perch and tilapia. Water is drained from a
5,000-gallon tank into a gravel bed, where fish waste is converted
into nitrogen. The filtered water is then pumped into raised plant
beds, which usually house salad greens and tomatoes, and finally back
into the tank of fish. Allen, who created the aquaponics system
several years ago, says that a 5,000-gallon tank is able to raise
about 4,000 fish.

The
foundations of the aquaponic system — its easy-to-use, sustainable
model and low construction and operating costs — align with Growing
Power’s commitment to making nutrient-dense food more readily
accessible and available, a process Allen describes as the "good
food revolution." He stresses the importance of providing healthy
food to the people of Haiti, who are often forced to rely on processed
foodstuffs imported by neighboring countries. "I believe the only
way to change the food systems in the world is to do it at the local
level and to empower people and create jobs," explains Allen.
"We just have to make sure that the poor and disfranchised people
and communities all over the world get the chance to partake in this
living wage food system."

Changing
the way food systems are run worldwide is no simple endeavor, but one
that Allen and his team remain admirably dedicated to. Their approach
is multicultural and multigenerational — everyone is encouraged to
participate, regardless of their age, race or socioeconomic status.
"I think the most powerful thing we do is to inspire people to go
into action and do what we do," Allen says. "We talk a lot
about doing stuff and then we never do it. So to get people to go into
action is what I want to see happen. All of us can talk to a certain
degree, but few go into action."

Some of Growing
Power’s own action plans target youth, a population that Allen
believes to be especially influential. He recognizes that younger
people, a technology-savvy generation privy to immediate results,
would not respond well to traditional methods of farming, which often
require intense labor and a hefty time commitment. But the chance to
work at a food-secure community like Growing Power’s heated, indoor
facility on Silver Spring Drive? That’s a much more appealing
opportunity, he says, and one that successfully engages a younger
demographic.

And although
Allen says that Growing Power receives requests for new jobs almost
daily, it’s clear that his "job" is far from being
categorized as work — it’s a life passion. "This isn’t a
job," he says with a laugh. "This is just fun." To
learn more about Growing Power and how to get involved, go to
growingpower.org. m